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Guilty Plea Likely In Case Of Troy Priest Accused Of Stealing Church Funds

DETROIT (AP) - A guilty plea appears likely in the case of a Detroit-area Catholic priest accused of conspiring to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from his church.

Nearly $700,000. That's how much Reverand Edward Belczak and the now former parish administrator are accused of stealing from the St. Thomas More Church in Troy.

The indictment says he helped himself to $110,000 from a church account to pay for a Wellington, Florida, condominium, while thousands more went missing from special collections on Mother's Day and Father's Day.

Belczak was removed from St. Thomas More in 2013 after an audit raised questions about parish finances.

A court filing shows a change-of-plea hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 1 in Detroit federal court with predictions the priest will now plead guilty.

 

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